everyone stop

Standard

Wait in line
‘Till your time
Ticking clock
Everyone stop

sitting around the room, each of us looking away. the number of possible activities you can indulge in not requiring the presence of any of the others, even though they are right there… are being explored. a frown, a smile, no expression, and yet all of them. look up, quickly.. and look away. meeting the eyes can lead to conversation. conversation could mean breaking the silence, which now seems to have occupied a fifth corner which it has created.

Nine to five
Living lies
Everyday
Stealing time
Everyone’s taking everything they can
Everything they can

stillness permeates, the occasional tap makes barely a dent in it. we look up, all at once, and find each of the others looking back at us. awkwardness ensues, a nod, a shake, the word ‘nothing’ mouthed… and the head bows down to the task that seems to be overriding any need for human contact. new corners are explored in the effort to look away from present company. not dislike, rather not wanting to be caught in those awkward moments is the overreaching goal. 2 of us end up examining the same corner of the wall, oblivious of the other. 2 of us turn over in the vain effort to sleep. none of us are really successful right now.

Do you believe
In what you see
Motionless wheel
Nothing is real
Wasting my time
In the waiting line

and yet..deep down, we can feel the connection that exists but is not accepted. there is no reason for any of us not to turn to the other… we just don’t. we believe the smile we exchanged 2 hours earlier suffices for an evening together. we want to feel that chatting with each other while sitting next to each other demonstrates affection.